Under The Red Moon, Stars Do Follow
by Bakura13
Summary: When hunting for mice...use a cat...when hunting for mutts...use a cat as bait..." Sesshoumaru is disgusted at the fact that he has found a cat demon but decides to use the creature to destroy Inuyasha.Miroku may be lucky this time...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
[My mind has been bugging me for quite some time to write an Inuyasha fanfic... .; So... yeah! DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Inuyasha and all  
the material from that anime belongs to its creators and owners.]  
  
A tall figure stood on a cliff, overlooking the green fields that lay before him; bathed in the sickly pale moonlight in the night. A moderate wind blew up the Cliffside and reached off into the sky. The figure wore blood red pants that were slack on the legs but were cuffed at the bottom, just above the joint of the leg and the foot. A loose-fitting blood red jacket draped over his upper body, with slashes at the elbow level; revealing the white long-sleeved shirt underneath. The boy sighed, letting the wind wail around him and feeling his long silver hair fly almost freely behind him. His dog-like ears twitched and he turned around quickly, focusing his yellow eyes on an elderly woman.  
  
"Inuyasha," Called out the old woman. "Is something troubling ye?"  
  
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, looking back towards the fields. "Nothing that concerns you, old woman."  
  
"It is about Sesshoumaru, isn't it?" She asked quite calmly, not a fault in her voice.  
  
"I said I don't want to talk about it, Kaede!" Snapped Inuyasha; anger rising underneath his skin.  
  
"I do not come to frustrate ye." Continued Kaede. "I know how ye feels about your brother. We do know that he is searching for your death. Though there is a contradictory situation... which are ye, Inuyasha? The villain or the savior?"  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, glaring down at the fields and squares of water that was used for the crops; keeping silent.  
  
Kaede sighed and started walking back towards the village. "I suggest that ye has plenty of rest tonight. You, Kagome and your allies have but a long journey ahead of ye."  
  
Inuyasha muttered under his breath and sat down, arms crossed as he glared down in deep thought. "Damn you, Sesshoumaru... you bastard... damn you..."  
  
The next morning brought clear blue skies and a nice warm summer breeze in its wake. Kagome stood outside in her usual type of outfit: a skirt, which was cherry red and a white long-sleeved button-up shirt that had a loose collar at the neck.  
  
She tapped her foot impatiently on the ground and looked around, her long black hair sitting past her shoulders. "Where is he? Inuyasha! Inuyasha, where are you? Ugh! He's always late!"  
  
"Don't get your knickers in a knot!" Growled Inuyasha from a rooftop, laying on his side and his head resting on his propped up arm. "I've been right here, watching you whine for the past fifteen minutes."  
  
Kagome narrowed her chocolate brown eyes and turned her head away. "Sit boy!"  
  
The beaded necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed a pinkish hue and he went crashing through the roof of the house he was laying on, also earning a scream in the process. He walked out of the house, slamming the door open and growled.  
  
"What was that for?!" He yelled, feeling his face starting to hurt.  
  
"Let's go, Inuyasha! We still have other shards of the jewel to find!" Answered Kagome, ignoring his yelling.  
  
"PERVERT!" There was a slap and Miroku fell flat on his face.  
  
He sat back up on his knees and rubbed the back of his head almost shamefully. "It was an accident! I swear!"  
  
Sango turned away from Miroku, arms crossed and an embarrassed expression on her facial features. "Yeah! Right! Like your hand happened to grope my rear!"  
  
Shippou made a face. "That's gross! I swear you are going to scar me for life!"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Okay, if we're done arguing for now, I think we better get going if we're going to find more shards."  
  
After a few more... minor disputes, the group left the small village and set off down a forest path; taking basically a random direction of where they would be going to find more shards.  
  
Elsewhere, quite a far distance away from where the group was, Sesshoumaru sat in a large room of his castle-like living area and looked at the sword that lay before him. The blade caught his reflection and beamed it back at him. The same yellow piecing stare, the same odd markings on his face, the navy crescent moon on the center of his forehead and the solemn look on his face with the silver bangs of his hair just above his eyes.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Called out a small voice as a little green frog-like bird creature hopped into the room, holding a long wooden staff.  
  
Sesshoumaru shifted his yellow-eyed gaze to Jaken. "What is it this time..."  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin was getting some water from a well outside and she found this... human or some creature outside, completely injured! What shall we do, my lord?"  
  
Sesshoumaru only turned his attention back to the sword. "Just get rid of it... kill it."  
  
"Right, my lord." Said Jaken as he ran back to the side yard.  
  
By the stone well outside, a lone teenage girl was sitting on the grass, leaning her back against it, her head tilted back to she gazed at the sky. Her bright silver-blue eyes seemed almost empty and emotionless as they flickered slightly, moving from each moving object in the sky; clouds to birds or insects. Long black hair with silver tips draped over shoulders and chest, and silver furry feline ears instead of human ears sticking out from the strands of her hair. Her face had dark blue star marking covered her right cheek on her face and a thin fresh line on the left side of her cheek, dripping warm blood down that side of her color-drained face little by little.  
  
Jaken raised his staff and pointed it at the girl, preparing to kill her from his master's orders when he heard someone on the balcony. Sesshoumaru stood there, with Rin and he looked down upon the yard. Jaken returned his attention to the target and swung at the staff at her, aiming for the throat. The feline girl jumped up and landed on her feet on the edges of the well, looking down at Jaken with no expression and almost emotionless eyes; her silver tail twitching very slightly.  
  
"Well, I suppose you want to die fighting, hm?" asked Jaken.  
  
Sesshoumaru covered Rin's eyes and shifted his own gaze towards the injured being. He caught an odd scent in the air and it was radiating from the girl, as well with the mix of blood. He growled, narrowing his eyes more.  
  
"A feline... a feline demon..." he said out loud, earning the full attention of Jaken.  
  
"What?! A demon? But... but I couldn't even identify it!" Complained Jaken.  
  
Sesshoumaru sniffed distastefully and started heading back inside, leading Rin. "Chain it up and lock it in an isolated and windowless room... I'll deal with this one later..."  
  
Chains lashed out from random directions and bound the feline girl completely, disabling her to move with exception of walking; as she was led inside. She kept her gaze towards the ground, glancing at the short green creatures, which looked quite alike to Jaken, pull her through a dark hallway by the chains. She was led into a dark windowless room and kneeled alone in the dark, with her bright silver-blue eyes glowing slightly. After an hour or two, the wooden door creaked open and the creatures returned, each holding candles with Jaken and Sesshoumaru right behind them.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked down at the feline girl, narrowing his eyes in disgust. "Answer me this. What the hell are you doing here... trespassing in my land..."  
  
She looked up at Sesshoumaru and spoke in a very quite voice, almost inaudible. "I... I don't know... don't know where I am..."  
  
Keeping his solemn expression, Sesshoumaru pursued with more interrogation. "Though I shouldn't waste my time with the likes of you... I am Sesshoumaru, a full fledged demon who can rip your flesh into shreds whenever I see fit... now, who are you and where the bloody hells did you come from..."  
  
"Tairei... I am called Tairei, Lord Sesshoumaru." She answered quietly, lowering her gaze to the ground.  
  
There was silence for a moment then Jaken spoke him, hitting the bottom of his staff on the floor. "Answer Lord Sesshoumaru when he talks to you! He asked where you came from, wretch!"  
  
There was yet another moment of silence, the girl refused to speak.  
  
Sesshoumaru crossed his arms. "From what I can understand... the scent of your blood clearly identifies you as a feline... a cat demon, nonetheless. Though I find that quite strange since I have not seen any around, and I despise the fact that you will not answer the question of where you came from. Or do you not know..."  
  
There was a nod from the cat girl demon.  
  
"Then I'll put you to a test... if you can last during battle with me, then I'll consider sparing your life... unchain her." Ordered Sesshoumaru as he shifted his gaze to the small creatures. "Now."  
  
The creatures jumped slightly and pulled the chains away, setting the candles on the floor around the room and left. Sesshoumaru started off the battle with little warning, slashing at Tairei with his claws. Tairei jumped back, more of her badly torn clothing being ripped even more, revealing her bare right shoulder.  
  
"Impressive..." Purred Sesshoumaru. "You are quick, but I am quicker."  
  
He ran at Tairei as a blur and gave her a sharp punch in the jaw, sending her backwards into a wall; right through it to the outside. He walked to the broken wall and looked down at Tairei, watching her get up and hold the side of her face. He thought for a moment longer and smirked.  
  
"This gives me such an interesting idea... when hunting for mice, use a cat... when hunting for mutts, use a cat as bait... Inuyasha's fate will be sealed by my poison claws." He said to himself, thinking more into his plan. "Full fledged demons are more cunning than half breeds... Inuyasha will find that out soon and it will be the last thought before he dies..."  
  
[Meow... there's chapter one o_O; I couldn't really think up a character so I just made details from the top of my head. How do you like it? ^^; And note... I've only seen six episodes of Inuyasha but I have a vague idea who most, if not all the characters are.] 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
[Thanks for the review xD that was quick indeed. Disclaimer: I own  
nothing... remember that]  
  
"How many times do we have to tell you... KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!" Yelled Kagome and Sango.  
  
Miroku shrank back a bit, holding his hands up defensively. "I tripped! It was an honest mistake! I assure you!"  
  
Inuyasha sighed, covering his face with one hand. "Why don't you stop following so close, Miroku. One of these days, you're going to be a dead monk very soon..."  
  
Miroku sighed and trailed back, avoiding a few stones that were thrown at him and noticed Shippou walking up to him.  
  
"You know what you're doing isn't going to get any girls." Started off Shippou before he ran back to the main group, whispering. "They go for the cute ones like me!"  
  
Miroku sighed again, lowering his head and glanced at his gloved hand. 'Right... they all do...'  
  
They group stopped at a river for lunch and decided to catch some fish to eat. Shippou sat on a rock at the river's edge with a fishing pole and waited while Inuyasha stood in knee deep water, barely moving and keeping his eyes for any moving fishes. After a few moments of uneventful fishing, they all sat down to a cook meal of fish... with tempers flaring between Shippou and Inuyasha.  
  
"I caught more fish than you so I get to sit beside Kagome!" Yelled Shippou.  
  
"That's because you took my spot at the river!" Snapped Inuyasha, baring his fangs.  
  
The remaining people sweat dropped and watched the two have a staring contest while shouting insults back and forth.  
  
"Lost dog!"  
  
"Feather duster!"  
  
"MUTT!"  
  
"WHY YOU!!" And a fight broke out.  
  
Kagome sighed, shaking her head slowly then looked at Miroku. "Hey. Is something wrong? You haven't tried to grope anyone lately and you seem kinda down. Is the food bad?"  
  
Miroku looked up from his untouched lunch. "Oh... what? No! It's fine! It's better than fine!"  
  
He then ate the meal very, very quickly and got odd looks from the others; even pausing the argument between the fish catchers. He coughed nervously and set his plate down in a calm manner, going back to his thoughts. After the short eventful meal, there was a period of relaxation. Inuyasha was lying in the sunlight, Shippou, Kagome and Sango sat at the river, dipping their feet in the water and Miroku sat under a tree, watching them all. He sighed and propped his staff against the tree, beside him.  
  
'I'm doomed...' He thought to himself, glancing down at his gloved hand. 'They don't really understand what will happen...'  
  
He closed his eyes and rested the back of his head against the trunk of the tree. He opened his eyes, feeling a few leaves brush past his face. His eyes widened slightly, seeing someone hanging upside down in front of him, looking straight at him. Miroku started to stand up slowly as the creature pulled itself back into the leaves. He looked up, a perplexed look on his face.  
  
"Uh... hello?" He asked, trying to see the creature again.  
  
Kagome looked back at Miroku and sweat dropped. "... Is he okay? He's been acting stranger than usual."  
  
Sango glanced back as well. "I think he's just looking for attention. Who knows?"  
  
The two girls shrugged and went back to their little conversation. Miroku scratched the back of his head nervously, hearing more of the leaves shuffle then something dropping out of the tree. He glanced around the other side of the tree and saw the same creature. The creature had silver ears and a silver tail, with long black hair with silver tips. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt that was obviously too big for her and the top of it cut just an inch or so above her collar bone, showing a very slight amount of cleavage, and she wore a black pair of loose-fitting pants; only held up by a few silver strings which hung on quite well.  
  
Miroku blinked then noticed her face. "Uhm... excuse me, miss, but your face is bleeding."  
  
The creature took little to no notice of the blood that had made a line down the side of her face. She looked at Miroku, with a slight look of wonder on her facial features then and shifted her gaze to Inuyasha, who was still sun bathing.  
  
Miroku stole a glance at Inuyasha as well. "Oh. Him? He's Inuyasha. He's pretty known well around places. And I didn't catch your name. I'm Miroku, a very skilled monk."  
  
The creature looked at Miroku again; still looking a little confused herself and spoke softly. "I am Tairei. That's Lord Inuyasha, Lord Miroku?"  
  
Miroku scratched the side of his face nervously. "That's what I said... and why did you just call me that?"  
  
He didn't really get an answer when Tairei jumped back into the tree, and into another one, towards Inuyasha. He watched her as she got nearer and nearer, almost unknown to Inuyasha and he started to get a little suspicious. He ran towards Inuyasha, keeping a glance at the creature jumping from tree to tree.  
  
"Inuyasha! Watch out!" Miroku yelled, seeing the cat creature leap out of tree at full height and fall towards Inuyasha, claws outstretched.  
  
Inuyasha snapped his eyes open and rolled to the side quickly, falling off of the little ledge as well and into the river. The three people who were sitting by the river blinked, and watched a sputtering Inuyasha curse quite a bit.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" He yelled, glaring up at the ledge; but nothing was there. "What the hell!?'  
  
He glanced up again, only to see that the creature was lunging at him again, ready for a strike. He ran out of the way, hearing a splash behind him as Tairei landed in the water. Kagome, Shippou and Sango jumped up, ready for another attempt for an attack, then they saw the creature slide herself out of the water, completely drenched; ear tip to toe.  
  
Miroku, being the odd man as he was, went into his usual routine. He walked over to Tairei and grasped her hands lightly. "Will you bear my children?"  
  
Kagome and Sango face faulted right on the spot. "Typical..."  
  
Tairei looked up at Miroku and sat on her knees. "... Children?"  
  
Miroku nodded trying to look as convincing as he could. "Yes, my children."  
  
"... What are... children?" Asked Tairei, highly confused at that moment.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me! She doesn't know anything about kids?!" Cut-in Inuyasha, slapping his forehead.  
  
Miroku asked again. "Well? How about our family?"  
  
Tairei tilt her head to the side. "... Family?"  
  
Miroku blinked, and loosened his grip slightly. "... Are you serious? You don't know anything about that? About those words?"  
  
Tairei shook her head slowly, not understanding the concepts of kin. Miroku's face went red quite quickly and stared at Tairei.  
  
Kagome pointed at Miroku. "Is he -actually- embarrassed?! Well this is a first!"  
  
Shippou burst out laughing, unable to keep quiet. "Usually it's the girls that look like that! This is great!"  
  
Sango coughed slightly, clearing her throat so she wouldn't laugh. "Well, Miroku, what do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
Inuyasha waved his hand in a lazy manner. "That's besides the point. Why did you attack me anyway-"  
  
Inuyasha caught the scent of Tairei's blood. "... IT'S A CAT DEMON! Damn it all! What sort of a cat demon ARE YOU?!"  
  
Tairei looked at Inuyasha. "Lord Sesshoumaru sent me here. He sent me here to get rid of you, Lord Inuyasha."  
  
[Hai... short chapter, but I wrote this after my bed time .; I'm gonna get in trouble! How did you like the short chapter?] 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
[Aie, thanks for yet another review ^-^ I know basically very little of Miroku, Sango and Shippou so my writing isn't going to be that accurate but oh well, tis the thought that sounds ^-^ so ignore my mistakes and stuff  
because I'm waiting for more episodes of Inuyasha to air! Oh, and I did  
some research about Miroku's curse so I'm going to follow that somewhat  
because the 2nd chapter looked a little iffy ^-^;; Disclaimer: I own  
nothing of Inuyasha]  
  
Inuyasha growled threateningly, slowly clenching and unclenching his fists. "How dare Sesshoumaru send a cat after me. Of all the creatures that he could have sent, he sent you; Tairei The Impassive..."  
  
"... The Impassive? What do you mean, Inuyasha?" Asked Kagome.  
  
"She's basically emotionless. She knows no feeling of anything; no misery, no compassion, very little pain and no hatred. You could call her soulless even, but that wouldn't even work since she somewhat thinks on her own. -Except- that she's taking orders from that bastard of a brother of mine." Explained Inuyasha, getting into a fighting stance.  
  
Tairei stood up, putting her arms back at her side and flexing her black clawed fingers leisurely. "Lord Inuyasha, it is requested that you are to be rid of the living world permanently."  
  
Inuyasha laughed dryly. "Yeah, right. Come on, kitty girl, let's get this over with."  
  
Miroku still sat there, his face still flushed from the realization as Tairei and Inuyasha started to battle. He watched the two go at each other, causing great damage to the surrounding area.  
  
"Well, not bad for a cat." Inuyasha smirked. "Not all cats land on their feet, you know, and I'm going to prove that by killing you off like the other damned morons who've tried to stand up against me."  
  
Tairei said nothing, nor did she flinch. Inuyasha swiped his claws at her neck and managed to reopen the wound on the left side of her face, causing fresh blood to make a brighter line on her cheek. Tairei ducked under one of Inuyasha's swipes again and jumped right past him, into the air and managed to snag his arms with her claws; ripping the flesh to an open wound. Inuyasha sprang after her angrily, ramming his shoulder into her back and managing to push her forcefully into the ledge. There was a loud crack as soon as Tairei made contact on the ledge, with the bottom half of her rib cage, most likely for sure breaking a single rib or two.  
  
Inuyasha jumped back a few paces and watched Tairei, smirking. "Time to finish you off."  
  
Miroku continued to stare, the colour slowly draining from his still partly reddened face and he started thinking. 'She's one of Sesshoumaru's lackeys... wait...Naraku...'  
  
Inuyasha started to run at Tairei, one arm pulled back. "Iron-"  
  
'It might work!' Thought Miroku quickly, jumping back to his feet.  
  
"Reamer-"  
  
"Inuyasha! Don't! Kagome, do something!" Yelled Miroku. "Make him stop!"  
  
"Soul-"  
  
Kagome looked at Miroku with a confused look on her face.  
  
"JUST DO IT!"  
  
"Steale-" Inuyasha was about to strike.  
  
"Uh, SIT BOY!" Yelled Kagome at the top of her lungs.  
  
**CRASH!!!**  
  
Inuyasha fell face first onto the ground, creating a crater in the dirt and grass. Tairei looked down upon Inuyasha and jumped up to the ledge above her, swiftly and landed sort of awkwardly unbalanced. She fell back onto her back and could feel something shifting just above her stomach, inside her body.  
  
"KAGOME!" Roared Inuyasha as he stood back up. "What the hell did you do that for?!"  
  
Kagome looked at Miroku for an answer and the monk sighed. "I asked her to do it."  
  
"WHAT?!" Snapped Inuyasha, getting more enraged.  
  
Miroku narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the river, avoiding all gazes that were set upon him. "If she is one of Sesshoumaru's lackeys, then we can use her to our advantage. It will be more or less an inside job with her as the spy, so to speak."  
  
"..." Inuyasha stood silent, knowing of the void on Miroku's hand.  
  
"If things go correctly, then Naraku will be dead and the curse will be gone from me. After that, you can do whatever the hell you want with the other demon." Finished Miroku, raising his gaze to meet Inuyasha's.  
  
Inuyasha growled, lowering his claws. "Fine! The cat will be our scapegoat just to get rid of one of those bastards!"  
  
Sango crossed her arms and gave Miroku a skeptical look. "Are you sure about this? I mean, she's here to kill Inuyasha."  
  
Miroku nodded then shifted his gaze to Kagome. "I know you carry this sort of stuff around, but do you have any sort of bandages or something for wounds?"  
  
Kagome blinked, still feeling a little lost from the situation. "Yeah, I think so. Why? Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, I'm not. But she is though and we need her to be at her best if she agrees." Miroku said in a low voice, looking back at Tairei out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Sango stepped in between them, her eyes narrowed at Miroku. "How do we know that you're not just looking for a girl, Miroku..."  
  
Miroku waved his hands frantically. "I'm being serious here! This could really work if you could stop accusing me of things!"  
  
Sango shrugged and side-stepped away again. Kagome grabbed her back pack and started rummaging through it, looking for what Miroku requested for. Miroku walked over to Tairei and kneeled down in front of her and lifted up the edges of her shirt slightly to see the bruising and Shippou suddenly shouted.  
  
"MIROKU'S LOOKIN UP HER SHIRT!"  
  
All eyes were cast on Miroku and he stopped in mid-motion, glaring at Shippou. "I was NOT! She wounded and I'm just checking to see how bad it is!"  
  
Inuyasha crossed his arms and muttered. "Right..."  
  
Miroku sighed heavily and caught a glance at the bottom of Tairei's rib cage and saw the bruising. "Well, it looks like you won't be doing much fighting until this is healed."  
  
Tairei shifted her silver-blue gaze towards Miroku. "... What is it?"  
  
Inuyasha sighed, irritated. "She doesn't know much about pain. I said that earlier so you basically have to tell her -everything-."  
  
Kagome handed Miroku the bandages and he started unraveling them slowly. "Well, my dear, you have some broken rib bones. Meaning that you cannot do much until they've healed-... by the looks of that one over there." He lightly pressed his fingers on a broken rib that was out of place. "That one will have to be slid back."  
  
"I don't want to watch this! People moving bones around like that grosses me out!" Complained Kagome, putting her hands in the way of the view of the pair.  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sat in front of the river, while Shippou scurried up curiously, trying to see what Miroku was doing.  
  
"So, Tairei is it? Well, Tairei, it would be quite nice if you could accompany us on a little... quest." Started off Miroku, setting the bandages down and carefully trying to set the bone back into place by pushing it. "We could really, -really- use your help with this because we aren't strong enough to get to the reward."  
  
"You are a bad liar, Miroku." Scowled Inuyasha.  
  
"... I second that." Said Sango, still watching Miroku suspiciously.  
  
Miroku coughed slightly, managing to push the broken rib back into its place cautiously through Tairei's skin; no opening of the flesh needed. "So, how about it?"  
  
Tairei started to sit up but Miroku pushed her shoulders back down. "But what about what Lord Sesshoumaru requested for? Lord Inuyasha is to be slain permanently."  
  
"Don't get up yet and don't worry about what he says. It... uh, is for him too. Sesshoumaru is in on this quest as well, he just wants to hang out in the background." Said Miroku quickly, grabbing the bandages.  
  
Tairei blinked slowly and nodded slightly. "Okay... if Lord Sesshoumaru said that then I suppose Lord Inuyasha's life can be claimed afterwards."  
  
Shippou sweat dropped. "That sounds really comforting, doesn't it, you guys..."  
  
After a few silent moments of Miroku wrapping the bandages around Tairei's rib cage and everyone staying speechless, he finally let her sit up very carefully.  
  
Miroku smiled gently. "Does that feel better?"  
  
"But Inuyasha says she doesn't feel much of anything!" Shippou cut-in, jumping up and down in front of Miroku. "That's a stupid question to ask!"  
  
"And demons heal more quickly than humans so don't go worrying about her, Miroku." Inuyasha said over his shoulder, waving one of his clawed hands.  
  
"Well?" Asked Miroku again, holding Shippou down with his hand.  
  
"... Yes... yes it does." Said Tairei slowly, touching the bandages softly. "It... still feels funny..."  
  
Inuyasha turned his head slowly and looked back at Tairei. "... I did NOT just hear what I thought I heard. This is The Impassive one, we're talking about here!"  
  
Kagome crossed her arms lightly. "I swear that I'm missing something. Is she not supposed to feel anything at all, no matter what it is? And is she the only one? Someone tell me!"  
  
Inuyasha sighed again and started to explain. "Her -kind- usually has a barrier over their emotions and feelings so they are not weakened. I seriously thought that they were killed so damned long ago and how the hell did she get loose... Anyway... she's really quick and swift, though I'm not surprised from the rumors of that type of demon. You know about Sesshoumaru being able to transform into that gigantic dog demon?"  
  
Kagome nodded, sitting down next to Inuyasha and Sango stood behind them.  
  
"That picky little detail is bothering me a lot. This type of cat demon is supposed to be almost mindless and ruthless killers, destroying anything even themselves. Unfortunately for me, I can't do that because I'm half demon." Inuyasha seethed. "You guys already know this but if there is a New Moon, I'm stuck as a human for the night. For HER situation... it is sort of the same way, and sort of isn't. If there's a full moon, and if I've heard correctly, there will be a gigantic cat-like beast running around, destroying things."  
  
Shippou skittered up in front of Inuyasha, standing in the water with his little fox feet. "I heard something too!"  
  
Inuyasha uncrossed his arms and rest his hands on his knees. "Well, go on, squirt."  
  
Shippou glared at Inuyasha and started to explain anyway. "I heard this story that my mom used to tell me when I was really, REALLY young of those kinds of demons. You're right about the full moon business but I think it's caused by anger too. It'll just happen randomly and I don't think anyone knows why either. It's really creepy."  
  
Sango glanced back at Miroku and Tairei. "... Well then, Miroku better watch his tongue if he knows what's good for him until Naraku's dead."  
  
"Someone is going to have to warn him." Said Kagome.  
  
The four stayed in silence then spoke up at the same time. "I'm not doing it!"  
  
"Aw, come on Inuyasha! You'll be able to take her down if she tries to attack us again!"  
  
"No way, Kagome! She's after ME, no thanks for my damned brother! And besides! I tolerate house cats, like yours, but not HER."  
  
"Sango! You go tell him because he likes you more and that lady will probably eat me alive!"  
  
"YOU try to stand near Miroku and not be pinched completely randomly!"  
  
There was more silence.  
  
"... Why is he still over there?" Asked Kagome curiously.  
  
"... He's making sure she doesn't try to run off and stuff." Answered Shippou.  
  
"..."  
  
"Well, we can't really go anywhere unless someone carries this Tairei demon." Pointed out Sango as she looked at Inuyasha.  
  
"... NO! No, no, no, NO!" Yelled Inuyasha, slamming both fists on the ground. "I am NOT carrying HER around on my BACK!"  
  
"Do you REALLY want Miroku to try to carry her? This is a pervert we're speaking about." Hissed Sango, pointing back at Miroku who waved back.  
  
"... He's doing it. I'd rather carry Kagome on my damned back than... than HER!" Snapped Inuyasha.  
  
"Okay then!" Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck from behind. "I'll take up on that offer!"  
  
Inuyasha sweat dropped heavily. "You know I was kidding..."  
  
"Well, I'm not. Get moving, Inuyasha!"  
  
"... I'll go tell Miroku that we're going." Said Sango as she folded her arms behind her head and walked away.  
  
"Hey! Don't leave me here! Guys!?" Inuyasha whined.  
  
Shippou shrugged and ran after to Miroku. "Hey! We're going now!"  
  
Miroku glanced at Shippou. "Seems like Inuyasha has his hands full... well, I guess you'll have to carry my staff. Just DON'T hit anyone with it or swing it around, if you can hold it."  
  
"Sure I can!" Shippou balanced the staff in his hands. "See? I told you so!"  
  
"Kagome! I said I was kidding, damn it!" Complained Inuyasha, trying to brush her off of his back.  
  
"You guys! We're heading to the next village to stay for the night! It's a long walk so we better get going!" Called out Kagome.  
  
"... Why me?" Sighed Inuyasha as he held Kagome on his back, walking back towards the others.  
  
[I made this chapter longer than the others sort of... yeah. Just to make up for lost time, I typed it up all tonight ^-^ Some things may be a little iffy still because I still need to see many, many Inuyasha episodes... Like the chapter?] 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
[I thank you all once again for the reviews ^^ sorry this took so long but  
school has been murdering me. Essays x_X And I have many other fan  
fictions to work on. Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Inuyasha.]  
  
Inuyasha sighed, sitting in front of a small fire in one of the small homes and crossed his arms. Kagome poked the burning wood of the fire with a larger stick then set it beside her.  
  
"You know," Started off Inuyasha. "We're going to regret Miroku's decision. And I'm already regretting carrying you around everywhere for the whole afternoon! And from our little travel, we've only found one shard of the jewel. ONE!"  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said. "It helps us more than it'll help Sesshoumaru though."  
  
"Where -did- the cat and Miroku go off to..." Asked Inuyasha suspiciously, eyeing the door.  
  
"Inuyashaaaa!!!" Shippou yelled from outside and plowed into the home. "There's some sort of monster in the middle of the village that's trying to kill everything! Miroku and that cat lady are there!"  
  
Inuyasha growled and he stood up. "Great... just great."  
  
In the centre of the quite little village, it was greatly known that it wasn't a peaceful little place with a scorpion monster chasing the villagers away and ruining homes. Inuyasha jumped onto a nearby roof and scowled. He saw Miroku standing in front of Tairei, trying to protect her at all costs.  
  
"What are you doing, you idiot?" He yelled down at Miroku. "She's a demon! She can take care of herself!"  
  
Miroku lightly pushed Tairei back a bit, keeping her directly behind him in case the monster wanted to attack.  
  
"Oh come on, already!" Snapped Inuyasha as he jumped down. "You damned cat bitch, move it!"  
  
"Watch out!" Yelled Kagome from a distance away, holding Shippou. "Miroku, look out for its tail!"  
  
The giant scorpion stabbed its poison-coated tail at the two and Miroku pushed Tairei back and jumped away himself, barely getting away. He almost hissed in pain as he clutched his wounded leg. Tairei looked down at Miroku, tilting her head slightly to the side.  
  
"Does it... hurt?" She asked.  
  
"Y-yes. Yes, it does." Said Miroku, wincing immensely. "Get away from it!"  
  
Sango ran over to Miroku and kneeled beside him, looking at the wound on his leg. "... It's poisoned."  
  
"I'm fine." Miroku winced again. "I still have a lot of time before it spreads."  
  
"Kagome!" Yelled Inuyasha as he kept his eyes on the monster. "You and Shippou hurry the hell up and ask around if anyone has an antidote or anything!"  
  
Kagome nodded hesitantly and ran off to the group of people who stood around, letting Shippou run off on his own.  
  
"Iron Reamer Soul Stealer-GAH!" Inuyasha was about to slice the monster in half when it scattered away quickly, avoiding the worst of the strike but just got its side split open. "Damn it!"  
  
Tairei watched silently as the scorpion ran right towards the three, seeing the giant boomerang that belonged to Sango, bounce off of its exoskeleton. The scorpion started to attack them with its tail, missing them very slightly.  
  
"Oh no! Watch out!" Yelled Kagome, clutching her hands very tightly. "Miroku! Sango!"  
  
Tairei jumped forward, right past the poison-coated tail of the monster and extended her claws, pulling them back over her head then slashing down in almost a blurring speed, as Inuyasha unknowingly slashed at the monster from the side. The monster fell to the ground, in pieces then reformed almost immediately, into two scorpion monsters.  
  
"HEY!" Yelled Inuyasha. "What the hell is going on around here?!"  
  
A pink glowing spot appeared on each of the monsters, and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "The jewel pieces..."  
  
Inuyasha saw a black and silver blur careen right past him and right through one of the giant scorpions, causing it to fall to pieces and the shard of the jewel fell to the ground. He picked up the pink glowing shard slowly and glanced back at Tairei, who had stopped running and looked down at her bloody claws.  
  
"..." Tairei stayed silent, not even taking notice of the vulnerable state that Sango and Miroku were in.  
  
"... Guys! Look!" Shouted Shippou as he madly pointed at the giant monster.  
  
Miroku struggled to get up on his own, while the monster edged closer and closer.  
  
"Iron reamer soul stealer!" Inuyasha cried out, slashing the monster into pieces and snatching the jewel bits.  
  
Miroku and the others sighed heavily, while Shippou scurried towards Miroku as quickly as his little feet could take him. He started to pour some of the antidote on the open wound and Miroku grit his teeth, hissing a bit because of the burning feeling.  
  
"The old woman that gave us this medicine said that you'll have to keep off of your feet for a while. She says that it should do the trick and you should be fine in a couple of days." Explained Kagome, looking down at Miroku.  
  
"Hey! What about me!" Inuyasha yelled, holding up the Shikon Jewel shards. "I did all the work!"  
  
"You had a little help, Inuyasha." Kagome said, pointing towards Tairei.  
  
Inuyasha crossed his arms, hiding his hands in his sleeves. "Not much help. I could have taken that thing on myself."  
  
"... Right." Kagome acknowledged.  
  
"Hey guys!" Shippou jumped up and pointed to where Tairei once stood. "Someone has to check her to see if she's alright and all."  
  
Sango glanced over and saw no one there. "... Oh great."  
  
Inuyasha glared back at some of the villagers. "HEY! Did any of you idiots see that cat demon run off somewhere?!"  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "Be more respectful!"  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and tried again. "Hey you guys over there! Did any of you morons over there see a cat demon run off just a while ago?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Hopeless."  
  
A little child stepped forward, looking no more than ten years old. "I saw the kitty lady."  
  
Inuyasha looked down at the kid. "Really. And where did the kitty go, little girl?"  
  
The small girl held her hands behind his back and lightly dug the toe of her sandal into the dirt.  
  
Inuyasha started getting impatient but kept his voice even. "Well?"  
  
"She walked off into the shadows. Into the shadows towards the water spring that is through the big trees." She said quietly, keeping her gaze at her toes.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "Figures. Kagome, let's all return to the place where we're staying and let the cat return on her own."  
  
"But Inuyash-"  
  
"No buts, Kagome. Just leave her alone." Inuyasha warned, strolling back to where they left the fire.  
  
Kagome looked at Sango, but only received a shrug in response. The two helped Miroku up and helped him walk back towards the small home; giving him sharp warnings not to pull anything funny.  
  
In the middle of the night, the fire had burned low and Miroku was given a makeshift crutch close to him if he really needed to move. He sighed, looking at the ceiling while the rest of the little party slept almost silently. He shifted uncomfortably and winced, feeling a sharp pain shoot up his leg. He decided that he had enough lying around and got up very slowly, being extremely careful not to wake any of the others up. He put his weight on the crutch and limped out of the place they were staying at.  
  
The village was basically bare and the air hadn't cooled down all that much.  
  
"It's going to be warm tomorrow.." he said to himself, starting to make his way towards where he thought Tairei was.  
  
After a few minutes, he found what the little girl said. There was a spring there. A hot spring even and it looked almost bare, with exception of Tairei sitting in the shallow part, letting the blood be washed off by the water. Miroku limped over to her and sat down on a rock, resting the crutch beside him. Tairei didn't bother to look up. She just lightly swished her hand through the water, watching the blood drip off and swirl with the small current made by her hand.  
  
Miroku cleared his throat then racked his brain for something. "... What are you doing here?"  
  
Tairei set her claws hands on the bottom of the shallow area, keeping her back to Miroku. "... Washing it off... erasing it..."  
  
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "What are you erasing? The blood?"  
  
Tairei nodded, watching the blood disappear into the water. "It doesn't feel right... keeping it there..."  
  
Miroku nodded, even though Tairei couldn't see it. "Ah. And it would attracted any other blood-thirsty demons if they caught the scent."  
  
The two sat in silence again, with only the noise of the crickets and the small waterfall a little ways around the outside of the hot spring.  
  
"... Tell me something..." Tairei said quietly. "What is it that you're looking for... what are you seeking in this... quest?"  
  
Miroku clenched his gloved hand slowly, making the beads rattle slightly. "... The quest is to help people. You see, my family has had this... curse for a very long time. My grandfather had it first, because of Naraku."  
  
Tairei looked back at Miroku. "... Who is this Naraku you speak of?"  
  
Miroku shook his head and averted his gaze towards the ground. "I had a feeling that you didn't know him... He is a very cruel man who had damned my family with this curse. He's a demon, ruthless and doesn't care if he loses any of his allies. He is the one that cursed my grandfather... the void was the curse. The void can suck anything into it and it will never be seen again. If the curse is not broken, then the void will expand slowly and make the person disappear. That's what happened to my grandfather... and my father... and it will happen to me if we don't complete this little quest."  
  
Tairei sat silently in front of him, listening almost attentively.  
  
Miroku sighed again, looking back at Tairei. "That's about it. That's all I can tell you because I know no more."  
  
"That's so... what is it... upsetting... almost tragic even." Tairei said quietly, flattening her ears.  
  
'... She can feel more now.' Miroku thought to himself. 'I suppose that's a good thing, if nothing else...'  
  
He sat there a while longer, then got up. "We both should be heading back now."  
  
He started to make his way back then stopped, looking back at Tairei. There was another moment of silence, then Tairei got up and followed Miroku, not even caring is she was soaking wet.  
  
[Another short chapter but... yeah. Sorry!] 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
[I'm glad you enjoyed those last chapters ^_^; Sorry for the wait... school work is murdering me xX Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Inuyasha. I  
only take credit for my original character; Tairei.]  
  
The group decided to stay in the village for the day and rest in the hot spring. Miroku sat at the edge of the pool and kept his bandaged leg out of the water, while letting the other one soak. Thankfully to Sango and Kagome's relief, the hot spring had two separate sections and the girls could be away from the boys.  
  
"Get back here you little runt!" Snarled Inuyasha as he ran through he bushes and into the hot spring.  
  
"Kaaggommmmeeee!!" Shippou yelled, running full speed through the water to where the girls were relaxing. "Inuyasha's hurting me!!!"  
  
Kagome sat up, covering her chest with her arms and looked over the edge of the rocks, seeing an enraged Inuyasha charging right behind the small fox demon. She ducked back down in the water and pointed to the rocks. Sango was wringing some water out of her hair and stopped, looking to where Kagome was pointing.  
  
"Sit boy!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs.  
  
Inuyasha stumbled half a step then went crashing to the bottom of the pool, causing a geyser of water to explode upwards. Shippou looked back and stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha, then jumped off of the rock backwards. Tairei stood up at the same time and Shippou smacked her in the back of the head, making both of them fall into the hot spring. Shippou surfaced first, gasping for air and looking around frantically.  
  
"What'd I hit?!" He asked quickly.  
  
Inuyasha growled and jumped back up, crawling over the edge of the rock and immediately averted his gaze when he saw Kagome and Sango.  
  
"Inuyasha! Privacy would be nice!" Snapped Sango, ducking behind another rock.  
  
"Where'd Tairei go?" Kagome asked, looking around the water pool. "I don't see her."  
  
"Did I hit -her-?" Shippou shouted, looking around again. "She's going to eat me, isn't she!"  
  
"I don't even think the cat knows how to swim! Damn it!" Snarled Inuyasha, then he dived into the pool.  
  
Tairei pulled herself halfway out of the water a few feet away from Miroku and laid her upper body on the flat rock, looking down at it. She coughed, almost sounded like choking and spat out quite a bit of water.  
  
"She's over here!" Miroku said, shifting himself over to where she was. "... You're not supposed to breathe water, you know."  
  
Tairei coughed a few more times then rested the side of her head on the ground, switching her gaze over to the water. Miroku placed his left hand on her upper back and patted it a bit.  
  
"Just spit it out and you should be fine." He said, taking a glance over to where the others were gathered.  
  
Inuyasha broke back up to the surface and wondered what everyone was staring at. "... You mean to tell me that I went all the way underwater for NOTHING!?"  
  
"... I think she considers Miroku as her security." Sango said slowly, pulling the rest of her clothing on. "She trusts him much more than she trusts any of us and that might be dangerous... either she's very naïve or something else is up...fear? I can't really place it but from what I've seen, what we've all seen, she stays around him."  
  
"Are they going to be like Inuyasha and Kagome?" Shippou asked. "I mean, they fight all of the time but they are with each other almost all of the time!"  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome's faces flushed immediately and they glared daggers at Shippou.  
  
"No... I don't think so..." Sango answered, tying her hair back again. "Tairei seems to trust Miroku more than she does to us and it is almost as if Miroku is teaching her things... teaching her how to feel again."  
  
"That -still- doesn't explain how she got all the way over there..." Growled Inuyasha, crossing his arms.  
  
"Ahem, it's quite simple really." Said a little voice on Inuyasha's shoulder.  
  
Inuyasha slowly looked down and narrowed his eyes. "And where have you been, Myoga..."  
  
The flea jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulders and landed on one of his arms nervously. "... Just keeping a watchful eye on your new group member... a watchful eye that was very, very distant."  
  
"The flea chickened out again." Sighed Kagome, walking back from where she got dressed.  
  
"Ahem... as I was saying, since it is getting closer to the full moon, the demon cat girl's powers are becoming stronger. Completely the opposite of Lord Inuyasha when he loses his demon powers at the time of the new moon." Myoga explained. "It -is- very rare to see one of her type alive at the moment and starting to know true emotion. The barrier can only be surpassed from one thing."  
  
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.  
  
"Is it not clear? You do not need my clues to hint the obvious, Lord Inuyasha." Myoga said.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the small flea in two fingers and held him in front of his face, squeezing him. "What-was-that?"  
  
"Irk! It can only be surpassed or broken through from one emotion that is universal." Myoga said quickly. "True affection will only make her normal, for lack of better words. And can you let me go??"  
  
Inuyasha closed his eyes and turned his head, squeezing the flea until he was flat.  
  
"I thought so..." Myoga groaned, falling to the ground.  
  
"You know, this completely goes against what Miroku said before and he doesn't like demons that much." Kagome said in wonder. "It's already proved with Inuyasha and him fighting... Do we really know what we're getting into?"  
  
The group stood in silence until they heard some children yelling obscure things.  
  
"Get out of here, demon!" One boy yelled, throwing a few stones towards Tairei.  
  
Miroku stood up, leaning on the crutch. "Hey, leave her alone. She's done nothing to you."  
  
"Want to bet?" Snapped the boy, pointing back towards the village. "We've never had a demon problem, or even a monster in there and when she came along, it appeared there last night!"  
  
Miroku furrowed his eyebrows. "Then what about that furry-eared individual over there. What about Inuyasha?"  
  
The boys looked at the half-breed dog demon and started laughing. "From what our dad's told us, he's only a stupid half mutt!"  
  
Inuyasha seethed, clenching a fist. "Why you..."  
  
"Inuyasha, don't." Kagome said, looking back at the children. "Why don't you boys go back home? These two saved your town from being destroyed and you should at least be a bit more grateful that it is still standing!"  
  
The boys threw another stone then ran back off. Miroku sighed, putting a hand on his forehead. Tairei pulled herself out of the water and crawled away from the edge, sitting cross-legged on a flat rock. Her dark hair was shadowing her face and the silver tips had water dripping off of them. Miroku looked up, seeing one of her pale hands twitch slightly from time to time.  
  
"... Tairei? Is everything alright?" He asked.  
  
Myoga jumped back up on Inuyasha's nose and was waving his four arms wildly. "Lord Inuyasha! Look at the sky!"  
  
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow then looked up, seeing the fade image of the moon in the sky, almost complete.  
  
"Tonight will be the time when Tairei shows her true power as soon as the sun sets and the full moon rises!" Myoga said, jumping up and down. "We have to take the extreme caution and keep her away from the town!"  
  
Kagome looked closer at Myoga, not noticing the blush that crept up on Inuyasha's cheeks from the distance between their faces. "Have you actually witnessed this?"  
  
"... Only heard tales of it and seen paintings of the view from the artist..." Myoga said shamefully. "But, all your efforts are needed to force her to move. Now if you look over there, she found a suitable place to sit. See how she looks? Her face hidden and if you go over very carefully and examine her hands, they are convulsing very slightly. She will not move until the full moon rises and then all literal hell will break loose!"  
  
Inuyasha growled, grinding his teeth and looking up at the cat girl demon. "Miroku!"  
  
Miroku looked up, upon hearing his name and saw Inuyasha jump over to the water and land on the edge. "Since you wanted to use the cat as bait for Naraku, we got ourselves another problem!"  
  
"Oh?" Miroku asked, standing up and putting his weight on his other foot.  
  
"Yes, oh. More like uh oh to me. Myoga happily informed the rest of us that there is a full moon tonight and little miss psycho is going to hit the top of her power tonight. We have to get her away from the humans or the village is as good as gone." Inuyasha said, pointing a clawed hand at Tairei.  
  
"... She hasn't even said a word all day." Miroku said quietly.  
  
Inuyasha hissed and grabbed the collar of Miroku's robe. "Just say there is an evil spirit in the town, which there is... and tell them that you have to exorcise it during the night..."  
  
Miroku sighed, holding a hand up. "I'll do my best..."  
  
He started making his way back towards the town, thinking up a proper way of introducing the problem while Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome and the others.  
  
"You three better be ready tonight because if Myoga is right, and not being a liar, we're going to have one hell of a time tonight..." He warned, crossing his arms in his sleeves.  
  
"When have I never been ready?!" Shippou said, jumping on the rock ledge. "I'll protect you all with my fox magic!"  
  
Inuyasha sweat dropped. "... I don't think your little spinning tops will help us..."  
  
"Who said it was gonna be that? Maybe I'll turn into this really big monster and save the day!" Then Shippou did a mock roar, holding up his arms like claws.  
  
Kagome laughed a bit, earning a sharp glare from the half dog demon. "Oh lighten up, Inuyasha. It's not like Sesshoumaru is going to show up."  
  
Inuyasha flattened his ears at his brother's name. "... We can only wish that he doesn't."  
  
"That reminds me.... Sooner or later she's going to figure out that it was just a trick to get to Naraku... have you even thought what would happen at that point?" Asked Sango, crossing her arms calmly.  
  
"We'll have it under control..." Inuyasha growled.  
  
"If you say so..."  
  
A few hours past and there was much talk in the village.  
  
"My boy told me that the cat woman is going to attack our village!"  
  
"I heard that the half breed demon is leaving us here to rot! We have to run them both out of here, as well as their shifty looking friends!"  
  
"Hold your comments," the village elder said, walking up with Miroku limping up beside him. "This monk has detected a very evil spirit that is heading towards our town and he offers to do everything in his power to protect this place, in pay for our hospitality."  
  
Miroku nodded, straightening his staff. "That is true to the very last word. I can sense the spirit heading closer and if my assumption is correct, it shall arrive this evening. I offer my services to exorcise this spirit and free your village from harms way, but I cannot guarantee that everything will be intact. I will attempt to let minimal damage occur but other than that, I'll do my best. For precautions, I advise you all to move to a safer area until morning and prepare yourselves soon."  
  
A murmur of uncertainty rushed through the crowd of worried villagers.  
  
"How do we know that we can trust him!?"  
  
Miroku sighed, closing his eyes for a moment then opening them. "Would you really risk the safety of your people and village? I warn you all, this spirit is dangerous and very, very big from what I've been able to sense. I advise you to do what I say and hopefully, no casualties will occur."  
  
Another murmur of uncertainty arose and people started to agree.  
  
"I'm glad that you have decided to heed my warning." Miroku said, shifting his gaze to the awaiting faces. "Remember, you must stay away from this place until morning, no matter what horrible sounds or other such things that you may here. This has to be done properly."  
  
A woman held her child close to her. "Please, save our village."  
  
Miroku nodded at the village elder and he took over in the explanation. Back at the small house that was offered for Miroku to stay in, Kagome and Sango waited patiently for Miroku's answer.  
  
Kagome looked up, seeing him limp through the cloth covering. "Well? What did they say?"  
  
"They agreed to what I told them..." Miroku said quietly, sitting down carefully. "This will be difficult. How are Inuyasha and Shippou doing?"  
  
Sango looked back at Miroku. "No such luck in moving Tairei. As soon as they touch her, she jabs at them with her claws. Her reflexes are much quicker and she seems... almost completely focused."  
  
"This isn't good then... I only hope that all the villagers listened to what I told them and stay away from here... otherwise, the damage or loss of lives will certainly be blamed on me..." Miroku said, lowering his eyes to the ground. "Kagome, I need you and Shippou to keep a look out for any stragglers that decide to be stupid enough to return after they were ordered not to... the main damage control will be Inuyasha and I and Sango, you will be needed on both posts... keeping the villagers away from here and if we need extra help, you'll be our back-up."  
  
Sango nodded, looking back out of the window. Just then, Inuyasha poked his head through the door.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, a little surprised.  
  
"She's shivering now." He said in a low tone. "She has not moved an inch and the wind is not helping by freezing her from her little swim in the hot spring..."  
  
Kagome was about to say something when Sango's gasp interrupted her. They all turned their eyes towards the door and window, seeing the full yellow moon rise ever so slowly from the mountain tops.  
  
"It's time..." Sango said out loud, almost in a hushing whisper. 


End file.
